Relationship between Sports Participation and Academic Performance among Medical Students of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin.

Mahadeva Rao US^1*, Sonia Ellomalay², Priyashini Lourdsamy², Jiveswaran Sivachandran², Naresh Bhaskar Raj³

¹Professor, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), 20400 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

²Medical Students (MBBS Degree Program), Faculty of Medicine, UniSZA, 20400 Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

³School of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, UniSZA, 21300, Terengganu, Malaysia.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: raousm@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

An endeavor has been made to study the effect of sports activity on academic performance among medical school students as respondents. Doing sports isn’t just a leisure time activity alone. It does affect the students in many ways including academic performance. Playing a sport requires a lot of time and energy.The study design used for this research is cross-sectional based observational study design. The number of elements for the target population is 120 from faculty of medicine, UniSZA. The questionnaire will be distributed to the medical students of UniSZA that has been evaluated in the interview.From the findings of socio-demographic characteristics, sports participation, academic performance, and the association between academic performance with gender; time spent doing sports; overall period of involvement in sports; athletic statusamong Medical Students in UniSZA, it has been postulated that there is a valid association between athletics and academics.

KEYWORDS: Academics, Athletics, Demographic, Performance, Sports

INTRODUCTION:

Scholars have found out that the factors and forces that help create and explain the basic relationship or association between athletics and academics are far more complex and multifaceted than sports idealists have often believed or assumed. The relationship between athletic involvement and academic success is not, for the most part, a direct, causal one. It can, in fact, vary dramatically depending upon type of sport, level of participation, the background of the student-athletes involved, school characteristics, and the relationship between the athletic program and the academic curriculum. Indeed, for some groups under certain conditions, sports participation can be detrimental, functioning as a risk factor for academic performance or

substance abuse. This variability is the second basic insight of the field, and has led to an ongoing scholarly effort to isolate and evaluate the causal factors that account for the correlation between sport participation and academic performance and its limitations [1].

A comprehensive examination and assessment of the limitations and variability of the sport and education relationship is crucial if we are to understand how to best utilize and explore sports programming and participation for educational benefit. Nevertheless, some of these researchers recognized that playing video games are fun and more beneficial. Although ,the percentage of those agreeing is relatively lower than those who had disagreed, but evidence nowadays is mixed had come with various changes in the latest video games that have become increasingly virtual, realistic, diverse and more social in nature. For us, it is quite balanced between positive and negative effects of playing video games [2].

In conjunction of that, we will carry out a research on the effect of sports participation on academic performance among medical school student of Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA). As we know, the medical degree is very challenging with almost most of the student’s time spent on studying and attending classes. So the evidence will be collected from the medical students of UniSZA regarding their perspective and experiences of playing sports towards their academic performances.

Recently, students find it difficult to take part and get involved in sports at the same time coping up with all the assignments, classes and exams in their schools. Therefore, students become negligence about importance of sports and the rate of sports participation among students is declining for the past few decades especially medical students. They fall in dilemma and assume that getting involved in sports could waste their time, energy and eventually deteriorate their academic performance. Hence it has been decided to take up a research on the statistical behavior of effect of sports participation on academic performance among medical school students of UniSZA as respondents to the research so asto observe and understand the students’ academic results and their involvement in sports as well as the obstacles and challenges faced by the students to balance their time after sports.

METHODOLOGY:

The study design used for this research is cross-sectional based observational study design. The number of elements for the target population is 120 from faculty of medicine, UniSZA. The independent variables are the factors that will be studied in the research. The dependent variables include academic performances. The academic performance of the subject will be considered based on the correlation with sports participation. The questionnaire will be distributed to the medical students of UniSZA that has been evaluated in the interview.

RESULTS:

Socio-Demographic Characteristics among Students in Medical Faculty in UniSZA.

Table 1 summarizes the socio-demographic characteristics of medical students in UniSZA Medical Faculty who’s involved in this study. The youngest adult involved in this study is Year 1 whose age ranges from 19-20 and the eldest adult is from Year 4 who is 23years and above. About 35.8% of the respondents consist of male and almost 64.2% of respondents are female. Major race of the respondents is Malay (63.3%) followed by Indian (25.8%) anfinally Chinese (10.8%). In the economic status aspect, most of the respondents are from middle class income (75.8%), followed by high income(20.8%) and then low income(3.3%). 70.8% of the respondents’ parents hold a diploma/pre-university, equivalent and higher level of academic status where else 29.2% of the respondents’ parents has an academic status lower than diploma or pre-university.

Table 1: Socio-demographic characteristics (n=120)

Variables

Frequency (%)

Mean (SD)

MBBS student year

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

30(25.0)

2.50(1.12)

Gender

Male

Female

43(35.8)

77(64.2)

Race

Malay

Chinese

Indian

76(63.3)

13(10.8)

31(25.8)

Economic status

Low income

Middle class income

High income

4(3.3)

91(75.8)

25(20.8)

Parental academic status

Diploma, pre-university, equivalent and higher

Lower than diploma, pre university

85(70.8)

35(29.2)

Table 2 recapitulates the participation of sports among students in medical faculty of UniSZA. Most of the respondents are non-athletic (64.2%) where else 35.8% of the respondents are athletic. Types of sports preferred by the students are football (10.0%), netball (35.8%), badminton (30.8%), table tennis (5.0%), volleyball (8.2%), board games (9.3%), track and field (5.0%) and other sports such as cricket, swimming (5.8%). Apart from that 82.5% of the respondents spend their weekdays and weekends doing sports whereas 17.5% of them does not involve themselves in sports. Most of them spend 2 hours (85.8%) on doing sports, whereas 14.2% of them do not participate in sports. There are few reasons why respondents spent their time doing sports. 12.0% of them involve in sports for personal reasons, 47.0% of them get involve to relieve stress, 29.0% for leisure time, 19.0% to enhance their skills and 13.0% due to peer influences. The overall period of involvement of respondents in sports varies from childhood to undergraduate (61.7%) and from childhood to teenage (38.3%).

Table 2: Sports participation. (n=120)

Variables	Frequency (%)
Students involvement in sports
Athletic	43(35.8)
Non-athletic	77(64.2)
Type of sports engaged in
Football	12(10.0)
Netball	31(25.8)
Badminton	37(30.8)
Table tennis	6(5.0)
Volley ball	10(8.3)
Board games	11(9.2)
Track and field	6(5.0)
Others	7(5.8)
Time spent doing sports
Weekdays and weekends	99(82.5)
None	21(17.5)
Hours spent doing sports
None	17(14.2)
2 hours	103(85.8)
Reasons involving in sports
Personal	12(10.0)
Stress reliever	47(39.2)
Leisure time	29(24.2)
Enhance skills	19(15.8)
Peer influence	13(10.8)
Overall period of involvement
Teenage	46(38.3)
Undergraduate	74(61.7)

Table 3 encapsulates the academic performance among students in UniSZA Medical Faculty. 54.2% of the respondents are active during their curricular sessions whereas 45.8% are passive. Adding to that, 50.8% of them spend 2-4 hours to study, 30.0% spend 4-6 hours, 7.5% spend more than 6 hours and 11.7% spend less than 2 hours to study.

Table 3 : Academic performance. (n=120)

Variables	Frequency (%)
Students’ behavior in class
Active	65(54.2)
Passive	55(45.8)
Time spent studying per day
Less than 2 hours	14(11.7)
2-4 hours	61(50.8)
4-6 hours	36(30.0)
More than 6 hours	9(7.5)

From the table 4, the p- value is > 0.05 (=0.829) and thus does not reject the null hypothesis of the study. There is no significant association between gender and academic performance.

Table 4: The association between academic performance and gender

Variable	Academic Performance, n (%)		X² (df)	P- value*
Variable	Fail	Pass	X² (df)	P- value*
Gender
Females	10 (66.7)	67 (63.8)	0.05 (1)	0.829
Males	5 (33.3)	38 (36.2)

*Pearson chi-square test.

From the table 5, the p- value is < 0.05 (=0.001) and thus reject the null hypothesis of the study. There is a significant association between time spent doing sports and academic performance. Those who involve in sports during weekdays and weekends have higher percentage of passing their academic performance compared to those don’t involve in sports anytime.

Table 5: The association between academic performance and time spent doing sports

Variable	Academic Performance, n (%)		X² (df)	P-value*
Variable	Fail	Pass	X² (df)	P-value*
Time spent doing sports
Weekdays and weekends	8 (53.3)	91 (86.7)	10.10 (1)	0.001
None	7 (46.7)	14 (13.3)

*Pearson chi-square test

From the table 6, the p- value is > 0.05 (=0.887) and thus does not reject the null hypothesis of the study. There is no significant association between overall period of involvement in sports and academic performance.

Table 6: The association between academic performance and overall period of involvement in sports

Variable	Academic Performance, n (%)		X² (df)	P-value*
Variable	Fail	Pass	X² (df)	P-value*
Overall period of involvement in sports
Teenage	6 (40.0)	40 (38.1)	0.02 (1)	0.887
Undergraduate	9 (60.0)	65 (61.9)

*Pearson chi-square test

From the table 7, the p- value is < 0.05 (=0.006) and thus reject the null hypothesis of the study. There is a significant association between athletic status and academic performance. Those who are athletic have higher percentage of passing their academic performance compared to those who are non-athletic.

Table 7: The association between academic performance and athletic status.

Variable	Academic Performance, n (%)		X² (df)	P-value*
Variable	Fail	Pass	X² (df)	P-value*
Athletic status
Athletic	2 (9.5)	41 (41.4)	7.66 (1)	0.006
Non-athletic	19 (90.5)	58 (58.6)

*Pearson chi-square test.

DISCUSSION:

Doing sports isn’t just a leisure time activity alone. It does affect the students in many ways including academic performance. Playing a sport requires a lot of time and energy. Some may think this would distract student-athletes from schoolwork. However, the opposite is true. Sports require memorization, repetition and learning skillsets that are directly relevant to classwork. Also, the determination and goal-setting skills sports require can be transferred to the classroom [3].

A survey conducted by the Minnesota State High School League in 2014 and reported by the NFHS found that the average GPA of a high school athlete was 2.84, while a student who was not involved in athletics had an average GPA of 2.68. The survey also showed that student athletes missed less school than their non-athlete counterparts, with a total of 7.4 days missed and 8.8 days missed, respectively [4].

Another study published in the Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise in March, 2007 found that students who were active in sports like soccer, football and even skateboarding performed 10 percent better in core subjects like math, science, social studies and language arts. Because sports offer equal opportunity to all students at the high school level, these academic benefits extend to all area of the student population, including students that might be traditionally underserved [5].

Various studies have demonstrated the positive effects of playing sport on academic performance, in large part because of the positive influence of identity formation and emotional development. So, to flip Sam Snead’s perspective, practice figuratively puts muscles in your brain. High school students who play sport are less likely to drop out. Participation in sport also has been associated with completing more years of education and consistently higher grades in school [6].

CDC20 synthesized and analyzed the scientific literature on the association between school-based physical activity and academic performance and found that the majority of the studies found positive associations. CDC’s report notes, “There is a growing body of research focused on the association between school-based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance among school-aged youth” suggesting that such activity “may have an impact on academic performance through a variety of direct and indirect physiological, cognitive, emotional, and learning mechanisms”. Similarly, research aimed at discovering whether sport participation can detract from academic performance found that participation in interscholastic sport and other team or individual sport, as well as other after-school physical activity programs, does not have a detrimental impact on students’ academic performance [7].

Recent research has shown that physical movement can affect the brain’s physiology by increasing cerebral capillary growth, blood flow, oxygenation, production of neurotrophins, growth of nerve cells in the hippocampus, neurotransmitter levels, development of nerve connections, density of neural network, and brain tissue volume. These changes may be associated with improved attention; improved information processing, storage, and retrieval; enhanced coping; enhanced positive affect; and reduced sensations of cravings and pain. The findings suggests that increased energy levels and time outside of the classroom—both byproducts of playing sport—may give relief from boredom, resulting in higher attention levels during classroom time. Research by the Canadian Fitness and Lifestyle Research Institute has shown that physical exercise causes short-term relaxation, accompanied by improved concentration, enhanced creativity and memory, improved mood, and enhanced problem-solving abilities [8].

In addition, doing sports boost self-esteem. Watching the hard work pay off and achieving your dreams brings about tons of self-confidence. If the students can achieve something in a sport or with a fitness goal, then they know they can achieve any other goal they set. Moreover, interestingly playing sport cuts down on pressure and stress. Exercising is a natural way to loosen up and let go of stress. Also, the students will most likely make many new friends on the team who can be there for them as a support system. When they find they are having a lot of stress, they can call up teammates and head to the gym to talk it out and play it out.

According to the finding of Darla M. Castelli et al, the relationship between physical fitness and academic achievement has received much attention owing to the increasing prevalence of children who are overweight and unfit, as well as the inescapable pressure on schools to produce students who meet academic standards. Thet examined 259 public school students in third and fifth grades and found that field tests of physical fitness were positively related to academic achievement. Specifically, aerobic capacity was positively associated with achievement, whereas BMI was inversely related. Associations were demonstrated in total academic achievement, mathematics achievement, and reading achievement, thus suggesting that aspects of physical fitness may be globally related to academic performance in pre-adolescent[9].

Our respondents were given different questions to assess their participation in sports. However, in order to assess the association between sports participation and academic performance, we only considered limited questions. One among these questions, we asked the respondents to justify their opinion about the association between sports participation and academic performance, and the correlation between sports and healthy lifestyle. Respondents said there is an association between sports involvement and their academic performance. For instance being active in sports helps the respondents to be more attentive in class, it makes them to be more energetic which helps them to focus in class, their sleep cycle is improved therefore it helps them to focus better without getting tired and few more to state. However, there are 38 respondents (31.7%) who disagree about the association between sports and their academic performance. The respondents said that academic performance does not depend on sports participation but the attitude and mindset to study, one said getting involved in sports makes the them even more tired, and another said organizing the time wisely has greater impact in academic performance rather than getting involved in sports. The findings of this study are in line with other researchers’ previous work [10-16].

David Philips et al researched the effect of an acute bout of physical activity on academic performance in school-based settings. They examined associations between a single, vigorous bout of physical activity completed during physical education on standardized mathematics test performance, eighth grade students at a school in the Southwestern United States. Students received both a physical activity and nonactive condition, in a repeated measures design. Academic performance measures were collected at 30 and 45-minutes post condition. It was hypothesized that students would have greater gains in mathematics test scores post physical activity condition compared with post non-active condition[17].

Shephard has suggested that increased physical activity during the school day may induce arousal and reduce boredom, which can lead to increased attention span and concentration. Shephard also suggested that increased activity levels might be related to increased self-esteem, which would improve classroom behavior as well as performance. It is possible that a threshold level of activity may be needed to produce these potentially desirable effects. This may explain why increases in academic performance are associated with vigorous activity and not with moderate physical activity in the present investigation [18].

Results from the Trois Rivieres study (Quebec, Canada) indicate that students who received an hour of physical education per day in addition to the standard physical education class showed better academic performance compared with control subjects who only had the standard physical education class. The authors assessed academic achievement using average grades for French, English, mathematics, natural science, and conduct. These subjects were similar to the core classes used to assess academic achievement in the present study. The Trois Rivieres findings suggest that if students in physical education receive an adequate amount of physical activity during class sessions, they may perform better academically [19].

To cap it all, it could be hypothesized from this study as well as the studies in support of our findings that there is a strong association between sports participation and academic performance.It shows that, there is a relationship between time spend doing sports and the athletic status with the academic performance. However there is no any significant association between gender and the overall period of involvement on the academic performance. This clearly shows that the medical students’ participation in sports will affect the academic performance.

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Received on 20.08.2018 Modified on 01.09.2018

Research J. Pharm. and Tech 2018; 11(8): 3737-3742.

DOI: 10.5958/0974-360X.2018.00685.6